CALGARY


RAY MEAD (1921 - 1998)

28 MARCH to 10 MAY, 2014

CURATED by Stephen Smart

Barbara Edwards Contemporary, Calgary is pleased to present a solo exhibition of work by the renowned Canadian abstractionist, Ray Mead. Mead was a celebrated member of the Painters 11, a group that gained prominence during the height of 1950s abstraction and included notable artists Jack Bush, Oscar Cahen and Harold Town among others. Mead’s work is recognized in particular for its bright, pure color and strong gestures. This exhibition features a number of the artist’s large paintings and works on paper from the 80s and 90s, a late period of his career that several experts consider to be his most successful.

Mead was part of the infamous Simpson’s show, “Abstracts at Home” in 1953. Over the next decade Mead was included in fifteen Painters 11 exhibitions including a New York show at the Riverside Museum in 1956. Mead’s work was included in shows at the National Gallery of Canada in 1956, 1972 and 1992. In addition from the 1950s until his death in 1998 Mead showed in many solo, two person and group exhibitions in Ontario and Quebec. His work is included in numerous collections including the National Gallery of Canada and the Art Gallery of Ontario.

Click on the link below to view a past interview with guest curator, Steve Smart, commenting on the work of Ray Mead. Also featured is expert Iris Nowell, author of Painters Eleven: The Wild Ones of Canadian Art.

ArtSync, Stephen Smart Interview

1114 11 Street SW
Calgary, AB T2R 1P1

587 349 2014
viviane@becontemporary.com